KUWAIT CHAMBER PHILHARMONIA
 
warmly invites on 

Friday, November 24, 2006 at 8:00 p.m. 
to Hashemi II Grand Ballroom - Radisson SAS Hotel 

for 
FINAL GALA CONCERT
of the 
4^th CHOPIN MUSIC COMPETITION in Kuwait 
& Festival POLISH DAYS in Kuwait

performed by world class Polish Soloists 

Prof. JERZY STERCZYNSKI - piano 
(Dean of Chopin Academy in Warsaw, 
The Main Adjudicator of 1st & 4th Chopin Competitions in Kuwait) 

ALICJA WEGORZEWSKA - WHISKERD - vocal 
(soloists of Grand Theater of Opera in Warsaw) 

& WARSAW STRING QUARTET 

Honorary Patrons of Chopin Competition 
H.E. Ambassador of Poland KAZIMIERZ ROMANSKI 
& Director of National Chopin Institute Prof. RYSZARD ZIMAK 

Program incl. piano works from Fr. Chopin, songs and famous Opera Arias.

ALICJA WEGORZEWSKA -WHISKERD 

- soloists of Grand National Opera Theater in Poland 
"A singer with a beautiful, full mezzo voice, a rich range of colours, and artistic interpretation full of temperament" - this is how Poland's leading newspaper described Alicja Wegorzewska-Whiskerd. 

She studied initially as a concert pianist at the Music College in Szczecin, following which she obtained a Master degree in vocal and dramatic arts from Frederic Chopin Academy of Music in Warsaw.

She made stage debut at the Chamber Opera in Vienna, and completed subsequent engagements at both: 'New Opera' and 'Vienna Theater', where she was invited to perform by Kofi Annan (Secretary General of UN), alongside the world renowned mezzos Fiorenza Cossoto and Grace Bumbry in a concert to celebrate the birth of the world's 6 billionth inhabitant.

As winner of the 1st Prize at the Rheinsburg (Germany) Vocal Competition, she played the lead role in the world premiere of Siegfried Matthus' 'Crown Prince Frederic' under direction of Goetz Friedrich. Performance was broadcast alive on Radio Deutschland and Radio 3, and Alicja received excellent reviews. That co-production with Deutsche Opera in Berlin, the Berlin 'Comic Opera' and Opera Schloss Rheinsberg also toured Germany, including the most prestigious Bayreuth Opera House and the EXPO pavilion in Hanover.

Alicja has performed in many Festivals, incl. the prestigious 'Festival of Old Music in Innsbruck, Danube Festival in Vienna and also in many opera galas, including the 750th anniversary of Breda in Holland and with Staatskapelle Berlin, conducted by Rolf Reuter. For record of film music in Poland she received Golden Disc Award.

The singer has performed across the globe, incl. Austria, Germany, Canada, USA, France, Switzerland, China and - Monte Carlo. At home, she performed the title role in 'Carmen' (Opera by G. Bizet) at the Grand Theater in Lodz. That production also toured Netherlands with performances in Amsterdam, Rotterdam and the famous Lucent Dance Theater in the Hague.

She has also performed in the prestigious concert halls such as the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam (broadcast live by Radio Arvo) and Berlin Concert house (concert with the Ensemble Modern conducted by Markus Stenza) as well in a gala concert in Shanghai and in the Polish Radio concert hall as part of the Schubert Festival, and Polish/German Hoffman Festival in Poznan.

Her most recent successes include: 
- the title role in the Polish premiere of B. Britten's 'Rape of Lucretia" in Krakow Opera and the Opera Festival in Bydgoszcz 
- the role of Orpheus in W. Gluck's 'Orpheus and Euridice', a co-production of Krakow Opera and the 'European Festival Initiative' during Krakow Festival. 
- She has performed at the National Philharmonic as part as the Lutoslawski Award (20th Century famous Polish composer) and 
- Played the title role at the National Grand Theater of Opera in Warsaw in Tchaikovsky's Opera 'Queen of Spade' under world known director, Trelinsky, directing also in Washington with Placido Domingo. 
- Last year she made debut on the stage of Baltic Opera in Gdansk, perfroeming one of the most demanding role for mezzo soprano: Octavian in R. Strauss' Opera 'Rosen Cavalier'. 
- This year she made her debut as Santuzza in Mascgni's Opera 'Cavaleria Rusticana' in Szczecin's Opera at the Castle. 
- She also played the title role in a new production of Bizet's 'Carmen' at the Silesian Opera staged by famous Polish tenor known from his Metropolitan Opera successes, Wieslaw Ochman. 
- Recently she has performed Verdi's 'Requiem' and Mozart's 'Coronation Mass' at Szczecin and Prenslau Festivals and sang opening concert at Warsaw'a Cross Drumming Festival. 
- Her next engagements will be 
- * as Jane Seymour in Donizetti's 'Anna Boleyn' in Baltic Opera 
- * Prince Orlovsky in J. Strauss 'Fledermaus' 
- * and the title role in a newest production of Bizet's 'Carmen' - bot in the Grand Theater of Opera in Lodz. 
- *** and, of course, Gala Concert on Polish Days Festival and 4th Chopin Music Competition in Kuwait on November 24th, 2006 at Hashemi II Grand Ballroom with Kuwait Chamber Philharmonia

Prof. JERZY STERCZYNSKI

was born in 1957 in city Bielsko-Biala, mountain district in the South of Poland, into a family with long musical tradition. His grandfather was an organist and his mother a musicologist. He took first piano lessons at the age of six. His teachers were renowned professors, Zdzislaw Tanewski and Wieslaw Szlachta. Under their guidance he completed with honors The College of Music in Bielsko-Biala.

Under famous professor, Chairman of Jury at the last International Chopin Piano Competition, Andrzej Jasinski, Jerzy Sterczynski graduated in 1981 with Special Honors from the Karol Szymanowski Music Academy in Katowice (Silesian Governorate capital). After his graduation he went to London, to continue studies at Master Courses under John Bingham. He is a prizewinner of several Piano Competition incl. International Piano Competition in Saragossa (Spain) and Piano Festival in Slupsk (Poland). For past twenty five years Sterczynski has been appeared in concerts as a soloists and a chamber music player. He performed in Europe (Poland, Austria, Bulgaria, Czech, France, Portugal, Romania, Spain etc.), Asia (Japan, Korea, Kuwait) and America. He has participated in international music festivals incl. Duszniki, Lockenhaus and La Chaisse-Dieu.

Prof. Jerzy Sterczynski's specialization is recording. He recorded already all Chopin's Nocturnes, Waltzes, Polonaises, Concerto, Sonata and other items as well as solo music and Concertos with orchestra from Tchaikovsky, Bach-Busoni, Liszt, Brahms, Reger and Szymanowski.

Prof. Jerzy Sterczynski is also a known and highly appreciated, especially from Poland, Japan and Korea, educationist. Since 1980 he lecture students at Academy of Music in Katowice and since 1989 at the Frederic Chopin Music Academy in Warsaw. Presently, since 2005 he is the Dean of Piano at Chopin Academy.

up